Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on August 16th, 2019
“That’s a great fifth option; let’s work on the other four.”
This line is one of the signature witty clips that Ryan Reynolds brings to the character of Pikachu in this movie adaptation of the popular Nintendo DS video game, Pokemon: Detective Pikachu. It is clear that Pokemon is standing the test of time, as I remember collecting and playing the cards in my youth. Though the card game appears to have fallen out of favor, the franchise received a resurgence a few years ago with the emergence of popular mobile phone app, Pokemon GO! In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised of the popularity of app led to the decision for this live action film starring Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, and Bill Nighy. This was a solid opening in my opinion, though I am skeptical of its film franchise potential, given that those without a basic understanding of the video game or card game (there does not appear to be any connection to the original animated series or subsequent animated films besides inclusion of the Pikachu character) are unlikely to get by the questions of “What are Pokemon?” or “Where do they come from?”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 13th, 2019
It is hard to not like a well done baseball movie. From Bad News Bears to The Natural to The Pride of the Yankees, there have been a slew of movies on America's favorite pastime. Today's review of Major League in its thirty years after release is another fine baseball movie which does well with great characters and easy to root for story-line of the plucky underdogs. Let us take a look at this re-issue of a fine blu-ray with a snazzy new cover and see what it has going for it.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on August 13th, 2019
Plus One takes a completely predictable premise and injects some much needed chemistry and comedic timing into it. I mean, come on; based off the synopsis alone we can tell that it is inevitable that our leads’ interactions will eventually turn romantic. I mean, we’ve got Ben, played by Jack Quaid (Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid’s son, also the star of Amazon Prime’s latest series, The Boys), the last of his single friends who has romanticized the idea of the perfect companion. Then there is Alice, played by Maya Erskine (PEN15), a jaded woman following a breakup. These two single friends decided to team together and act as each other’s plus ones to all their friends’ weddings. Come on, it doesn’t take a seasoned critic to see the romance coming. This ideal is pretty much standard operating procedure in romantic comedies with hit-or-miss potential. Well, if it hadn’t been for the chemistry between Quaid and Erskine, the comedic timing of the supporting cast, and Erskine’s individual performance, this movie wouldn’t have been a hit.
As I mentioned earlier, the premise of the film was very predictable. We all knew where the story was heading, so instead of focusing on where we were heading, we need to focus on the journey. This is where Quaid and Erskine’s chemistry was of the most importance. When we meet them, Alice is just Ben’s annoying friend looking to drown her sorrows in the open bar, which she then proceeds to do. Naturally she is the one to suggest the arrangement, and of course Ben is hesitant to the idea, but we all know that he is going to go along with it eventually. The two even act as each other’s wingmen to varying success early on. I must admit that I prefer Alice’s method of throwing Ben into the deep end to Ben’s subtlety. All that pretext aside, we all know that it is only a matter of time. What I couldn’t believe is where their relationship began. I laughed so hard at the idea of getting it on in this insane locale. I literally couldn’t imagine a less romantic setting if I tried. I give the film major points for the out-of-box thinking in this regard.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 13th, 2019
I’ll go ahead and get this out of the way, Batman: Hush is my favorite DC graphic novel; it’s one I’ve read multiple times and one I’ve dreamed to see done as a live action film. The story is just one that offers up so much for the fans to enjoy, and considering it features just about all of the core characters in the Batman rogues gallery, it’s simply a graphic novel that I’m surprised it’s taken this long to tackle. When it comes to DC, though, they’ve been pretty hit-or-miss when it comes to their properties being adapted for the big screen, but for television and their animated films they’ve been successful. Basically when I heard Hush was going to be an animated film, it’s one I got excited about, but in the back of my mind I was worried this could end up being like The Killing Joke, great material that just didn’t connect. So how was this adventure with the caped crusader?
The story for Hush was originally done by writer Jeph Loeb and was a whopping 300 pages of beautifully crafted panels. For the most part the whole story is here, but there have been a few liberties taken (mostly with fleshing out the Batman and Catwoman relationship). The trimming is expected, considering this was only an 82-minute feature. In a perfect world I would have loved to have seen this get the kind of treatment we saw with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse. It’s a story certainly geared more towards adults, but with the large assortment of villains is a huge attraction to the project, and going the animated route would save on having to shell out the big bucks for big-name actors to fill these roles.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 13th, 2019
"Tell me a story..."
One of the first people in my life to tell me a story was J.R.R. Tolkien. I was given a colorfully illustrated copy of The Hobbit that I still have to this very day. Sure, it was abridged and was mostly filled with pictures, but I was likely five years old when I got the book. The fact that I've kept it this long should tell you something about the kind of story Tolkien told me. Since that time I've read the Fellowship Of The Ring trilogy at least three times. I've written music inspired by those stories. And then there are the six massive films from Peter Jackson. In all these years I've never quite shaken the words of a man I never did have the opportunity to meet... that is, until now. Watching the biographic drama Tolkien leaves me with a sense of connection that I always wished I might obtain to the man himself. It's still rather early in the film season, and while this might not quite be the season for such things just yet, I must say I've at least seen the best film of 2019 to date.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on August 10th, 2019
I am a Power Rangers fan. I grew up during the first incarnation of the series and had every one of the action figures with the flipping head to show them masked and unmasked. Hell, I am even a fan of the film that premiered in 2017 so much that I would welcome a sequel, though that prospect seems unlikely with the rising profiles of Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, and Dacre Montgomery. All that said, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie is where I get off the bandwagon. Despite featuring some of the original cast members, the story is too convoluted and over-the-top to find enjoyable. Taking place after the events of Powers Rangers’ fourth season, also known as Power Rangers Zeo, Turbo sees Tommy Oliver still in command (i.e. the red ranger) of the last crop of Rangers. While competing in a local charity fight to save the Youth Shelter, Rocky DeSantos takes a fall and is seriously injured, which leads to the discovery of their identities by Justin, a friend of Rocky and frequenter of the Youth Shelter. Meanwhile, a new enemy emerges in the form of Divatox, an intergalactic space pirate who is searching for a key that will allow him to traverse an inter-dimensional gateway in order to marry a Maligore, who has promised riches and immense power in exchange for their union.
This movie served as the segue into the Power Rangers Turbo TV show, as well as Kimberly Ann Hart’s exit from the universe with the exception of her cameo in the 2017 incarnation. Perhaps this is bias on my end, but this film would not have been how I wanted to leave the franchise. The story was too convoluted and ridiculous for me. Now this is obviously the opinions of me as an adult; I’m sure when I was a kid and the movie first premiered back in 1997, I thought it was the greatest thing to come into my young life. Fast forward to my adult self; I can’t digest the silly storyline.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 5th, 2019
I think most men as they take on the journey from boys to men usually encounter a fascination with an older woman. Usually it's nothing more than an infatuation, an impossible ideal that even the woman herself can't live up to. But the ideal of what we think of her is important to our growth and vital to exploring our feelings. In our film, Penguin Highway, we meet a boy who becomes fascinated with an older woman named Onee-San. However, the mysteries surrounding this lady are numerous and turn this common coming-of-age story into something extraordinary. Let us take a look.
It is June 29th; the temperature outside is a breezy 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit). Aoyama is in the fourth grade. He is smart, and he studies hard. The student has a very bright future ahead of him. Importantly, Aoyama is high on himself, but he is not conceited, and that's what makes him great. On the way to school, he stops by a bunch of children his age who are looking out into the field. There appears to be a gathering of something, but nobody can make it out.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 1st, 2019
When it comes to Body At Brighton Rock, there was an opportunity for this to be something pretty awesome. After all, when you think about it, only a few years ago The Revenant was showing just how great a film can be about surviving in the wilderness and how intense a bear attack can be. Well, to be fair, I don’t believe Body At Brighton Rock was aiming to be in the same ballpark of The Revenant, but as I was watching this, it was difficult to not think about what could have been. Really, the film is a simple little tale about a state park employee who gets lost in the woods and stumbles upon a dead body in the process. It’s a good start for the film, but sadly this turns into a bit of a snooze-fest despite some spurts of promise.
When we meet Wendy (Karina Fontes), she’s already late for work, something she seems to do quite often. She works for the State Park Service, which seems to have more people on duty than I would have guessed. Wendy from the start just doesn’t seem to be right for the job. Even her coworkers can’t help but make jokes at her expense. But to help a friend out, she decides to swap positions with her, so rather than sticking to the indoors, Wendy sets out on the trails to post signs and do whatever it is a Park Service officer does. It doesn’t take long before she gets lost, and in the process of trying to find her way she stumbles across a body. Sure, I can believe anyone can get lost in the woods, but when it comes to Wendy’s abilities in the wild, well, it’s hard to believe she’d ever be hired not knowing simple basic survival skills. Another frustrating aspect: she’s carrying around a pack just for the specific purpose of helping keep her alive in case of emergency, but it seems nothing you would actually need is in this pack.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 1st, 2019
With a title like Hail Satan? you know your film is going to evoke a reaction. I’m not sure when doing a documentary you really want to polarize your audience, but when you also have DVD cover art of Baphomet, well, then you’re basically taking the ram (in this case) by the horns and just going for it. One of the core subjects the documentary is covering is about the freedom of expression in regards to having a Baphomet statue erected to stand next to a statue depicting the 10 commandments on government property. It’s a film that does its best to stay neutral when it comes to religious freedom but in the process becomes a bit problematic for both sides of the debate. This is one where it got a little frustrating to watch, but I was impressed by how entertained I was throughout it all.
When the film opens up we get to see the leader of the Satanist group, Lucien Greaves, basically trolling the Westboro Baptist Church. Sure, these antics may be in bad taste, but considering who it’s being done against, it’s hard to sympathize with the Westboro Baptist Church members. Lucien is basically a self proclaimed rebel who seems to want nothing more than to provoke those who seem to want to use religion as law in how people should act rather than actually following the laws. We see this on display when the Satanists go on to protest at an anti-abortion rally, as well as when the group attempts to perform a Black Mass in Boston. Yes, these things are done to evoke a response, and sure, there are many that will be offended by a lot of what’s in this documentary, but there is a message here.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on July 30th, 2019
"The fall of the worlds, it was the war to end all wars. There was no one left to fight, no war memorials, no wall with the names of the dead, no statues of heroes. Only empty cities and the ruins of great civilizations on two planets. Tumbleweeds, skulls, crows. Only in Zolem did the lights stay on."
I was unfamiliar with the original source material. I found myself treated to a unique action-packed experience. Alita is unquestionably one of the top action films of 2019. I know it’s early, but I have no reason to doubt that my claim will be just as true as the year continues. I would have liked it a bit more if they expanded on the universe slightly more, but it was still a solid opening for the inevitable franchise. By the year 2563, the world has been ravaged by a catastrophic war known as “The Fall,” dividing the population. High-born members of society reside in a sky city known as Zalem, while low-born people live underneath in the junkyard metropolis known as Iron City. Many low-born people have cybernetic limbs and enhancements. One day cyborg surgeon Dr. Dyson Ido discovers a disembodied female cyborg with a fully intact human brain. Providing it with a body, the cyborg returns to life but does not remember her former life or her own name. Naming it Alita, Ido takes the cyborg and raises it like a daughter.
